I never asked him, but I know Dad would have added "fishing" to that list of unpredictables.

I often try to predict fishing and weather. And since I'm not a Yankee, Dad would say I'm a fool.

You see, it wasn't supposed to be this way.

A few weeks ago, when I planned to write this column, I thought I'd tout the area's reputation as "Sailfish Capital of the World." I believed I'd have tournament data supporting that another awesome season was well under way.

Instead, the results have been less than spectacular. Some days have been downright ho-hum.

Joe Lehner of Stuart, one of the most decorated sailfish tournament anglers on the Treasure Coast, said it's been hard to pinpoint fishing trends the past two weeks.

"The fishing has been weird," said Lehner, owner of the defending Treasure Coast Sailfish Championship-winning Bone Shaker. "It's just very weird. The fishing has been very inconsistent."

Fishing is like this. Whether trying to predict behaviors of speckled perch, spotted sea trout or sailfish, it's an inexact science, to say the least.

And when it comes to slow sailfishing, we're also dealing with weather. A lack of cold weather, to be specific.

Usually, by early December, a half-dozen cold fronts have pushed their way cross-country, chilling area temperatures for a couple of days at a time. The cold fronts push migratory species of fish and birds from north to south like gigantic snowplows.

But not this year. As this column is being written, it's 82 degrees and humid. It feels more like we're approaching the Fourth of July, not Christmas.

Sailfishing has been way off from where it could be. The Finest Kind Quickie, Pirates Cove Sailfish Classic and Stuart Sailfish Club Light Tackle Tournament all have fished this season. The combined fleets have tallied 303 sailfish releases in eight days on the water. A year ago, that number was 642.

Last year, double-digit days for tournament competitors were the norm. This year, Chasin Tail, led by Capt. Rob Valko and owned by Howard Webb of Fort Pierce, has scored the only double-digit sailfish release day in a tournament — with 11 on Dec. 2 — as the team won the Classic.

Showtime!, led by Capt. Wink Doerzbacher and owned by Sailfish Point's Fred Hardwick, has caught only 28 sailfish but has won the Quickie and Light Tackle in the process. Only Chasin Tail has caught more with 29.

When the next two events start up after New Year's Day, the sailfishing probably will get a little better.